A Day To Remember
by Casey Toh
Summary: When Fathers' Day arrives, Ace, Cosmo and Jas give their father figures/fathers gifts that they will always remember...Please do review...thanks


A Day To Remember

A DAY TO REMEMBER By Casey Toh

Disclaimer: The Magician and all related characters belong to Gaumont Multimedia. The idea of letting Ace, Cosmo, Zina and Jas helping Vega battle crime for the night comes from Syl Francis's story 'For The Guy Who Has Everything.' No intentional copyright infringement is intended through their use.

Note: Jas Lee, Jason Brend and Toby Lee are all unique creations of mine. Please ask before using them. This story is meant to stand after Lost, But Found, but I decided to put this up first, 'cause Fathers' Day is only this week.

**Dedication: To my grandfather, my father, my God-father, and all fathers out there in the world! Happy Fathers' Day!!! **J

It was a Saturday night and the whole city was quiet, or so most of the citizens of Electro City thought. Inside the Magic Express—a bullet-shaped train that was home to the world-famous celebrity—Ace Cooper, together with his long-time friend and young charges, were chatting.

Halfway through, Derek Vega's cell phone rang. The man answered it. "Lieutenant Vega here." He listened to the person at the other end for a moment, then sighed and rose. "All right, I'll be there." He clicked the phone off. "Sorry, guys. Friedricks wants me back at the station. Seems that criminal activities are on the rise tonight."

After the hardened cop left, the remaining trio gazed at each other. Jas Lee, a teen who was the newest in the team, spoke up, grinning. "You guys know what day it is tomorrow?"

Cosmo, the redheaded charge of Ace's, smiled back. "It's Fathers' Day!"

The Magician chuckled, never tiring of Cosmo and Jas's enthusiasm and crazy ideas. "So what do you guys propose?"

"Well, this is what I have in mind…"

***

"Damn tonight! And damn Friedricks!" Vega cursed as he cuffed a robber and herded him into the police van.

A young officer grinned. "Tough night, huh, Lieutenant?"

"Get on with your work, kid," Vega retorted good-naturedly.

The young man laughed and took over the herding. The radio in Vega's own car squawked and he picked it up. "Vega."

The Electro City Police Department's call operator spoke. "Attempted break-in at the mall. Seven suspects—"

He shut the rest out, called two squads of cops to follow him, and sped off.

***

"Dudes, I'd advise ya to put those down now." A figure clad in black from head to toe faced the thugs. His voice sounded ridiculously young to be a cop's.

The seven thugs squinted in the near darkness to see their enemy, and when they couldn't spot anyone, clicked on a torch, casting the light about. They finally found him, just standing there. "Whoever you are, leave now, or you'd regret it."

Something padded into the small pool of light with a rumble. The seven shrank back as a huge midnight-black panther advanced and the figure in black spoke, "I think you guys would be the ones regretting it."

***

"Would you listen if I tell you nicely to return the vase?" The voice belonged to someone who was in black with a ski mask pulled over his face. A cloak billowed gently behind him.

"Get lost, mister, whoever you are," the thief snarled. "You got no business messin' in mine!"

"Very well, then we would have to do this the hard way then." He strode forward.

The thief waited for the unknown stranger to come within reach, then lashed out to punch him, only to find that his fist passed right through the man. He quickly retracted his hand and stared at it in horror. "A ghost!" He managed.

"More like a hologram." The voice came from behind him. When he turned to attack, a fist brought him to dreamland in an instant.

***

She grabbed him by the back of his collar, pulling him back from the clothes he was about to take. "Ah, ah, ah. It's not good to take things that don't belong to you."

The man, barely older than 27, spun around to punch her, but she was not there. A tap from behind him alerted him to her presence, but he could not do anything but try to defend himself against her.

She couldn't do this to him! Not tonight of all nights! He had to make her see! But he could not get close enough to make his assailant stop. "Please!" He screamed desperately. "Stop!"

She stopped, more surprised at his tone than anything else. "Why should I stop?" She demanded, although there was a hint of softness beneath her voice.

He looked at her mask-covered face, and into her eyes, which became twin pools of reflections under the influence of the dim lights in the clothes department. "I…need to get something for my dad. I left him last year to survive on my own 'cause he didn't have enough to feed the both of us."

She relaxed her stance and offered a hand to help him up. Her eyes became soft as she said, "Which one did you want?"

Still a little suspicious, the man searched the rack and found a brown ankle-length duster, all the while keeping half an eye on her, but her attention was directed at the duster. 

She reached out with a gloved hand to take hold of the price tag, then reached into her pocket and dug out the amount, leaving the cash on the counter. "Take it. And tell your father this is from you."

"Miss?" She didn't miss the note of gratitude in his voice. "Thank you."

She turned away. "You're welcome."

He saw the lone tear hanging from her eyes before she left.

***

"Another break-in stopped, Lieutenant," an officer reported.

Vega frowned. Every time he got a call reporting a break-in, robbery or thefts, the criminals would have already been tied up, nicely delivered to him. And as he analyzed statements after statements, he realized that there was a pattern: someone with a big cat, another who had a cloak like Batman, and the last who was more female than male.

Three people. All in black. One with a cloak. One with a cat. One female. Ooohh man. He knew who they were. There could be no mistake.

A smile suddenly formed on his face as he retired for the night (or morning, considering it's 3:43am).

***

"Gosh, I didn't know it was so tough to be a cop." Cosmo plopped down on the couch, giving his body a well-deserved rest.

Jas, who should be used to it, stretched her aching muscles and cracked her knuckles. "Now I understand why Vega is so grouchy everyday."

Ace actually found the energy to laugh. "The perfect Father's Day gift for him."

They didn't expect the all too familiar voice to chortle, "You guys are nuts."

"Vega!" Cosmo leapt off the couch as the lights brightened by a fraction, revealing the cop who had stood there under the concealing cloak of darkness.

The man walked into the living hall with an uncharacteristic smile on his face, giving Zina's head a good rub as he passed her. "Reports came in from all over the city. I spotted a pattern, and put it together."

"Yeah, well…" She glanced at her watch. It read 4:30am. "Happy Father's Day, Vega." She grinned.

The cop shook his head in frank admiration, running a hand through his graying hair. His eyes traveled slowly over the trio, scrutinizing them, taking in every minute detail. Unidentified emotions raged in his gray eyes and seeped to his face. 

Without warning, he stepped forward and hugged Jas. She returned it without any hesitation. "Thanks kiddo."

"No problem, Vega…Dad."

The man turned his gaze to Cosmo, and offered him a hand to shake, knowing that the young man was not accustomed in showing his real feelings. The teen looked at the hand, then shook his head and hugged Vega. "This is for all the times you bugged me for jaywalking, old coot."

Vega laughed and punched Cosmo on the arm lightly. "Yeah, well, I'll still do that." He faced Ace, his oldest son. Ever since he pulled Ace out from a life of crime, he had made sure he was there to guide the younger man. "And you…"

The Magician grinned and settled into the older man's embrace. Vega had been a father to him, and had indirectly taught him the secrets of parenthood, which he now put to good use teaching Cosmo and Jas. Because of Vega, he had found a family. "I love you, Vega."

The Lieutenant mock-grimaced at the unexpected show of affection, then smiled. "Love you too, son." He gazed at all of them. "I love you all."

"We love you too, Dad," all of them chorused. 

Vega settled into an armchair, propping his legs up on the table. "Now, how about breakfast?" He grinned wickedly.

"Vega!" They complained and pounced on him. A tickling war began.

***

Not having been able to sleep—however tired they were—Cosmo and Jas stayed in Cosmo's room, racking their brains for another gift to give.

"So, sis," Cosmo ran a hand through his gravity-defying red hair, "what do you think Ace would want? I mean, he's practically the richest guy in Electro City!"

"Yeah, you're right, bro," Jas concurred. "Hm…one of the most important things in Ace's life is his shows. He's constantly trying to come up with new ideas. So how about you do the effects, I'll think of the tricks?"

"Awesome idea, dudette!" The redheaded teen exclaimed. "Let's start now!"

They dug out some papers and pencils, and went about discussing their idea.

***

When Ace got up near noon, he found breakfast—or rather, lunch—waiting for him. He stood by the table, scratching his head in puzzlement. _Who did this?_ He wondered. _Of course! Cosmo and Jas!_

He grinned and sat down to enjoy the food his young charges had taken the effort to make. They were simple—eggs, toast, sausages, and a cup of black coffee, just the way he liked it—but it was the nicest breakfast he had ever tasted in his life.

Only when he finished did he see the note taped onto the refrigerator. _Meet us in the training room when you get up, Ace._ The Magician smiled, and did.

***

"Ace is currently on his way here," Angel, the AI running the entire Magic Express, informed.

The teens panicked. They weren't finished yet! They hadn't expected Ace to wake up that early!

They ran around the room, closing programs and hiding props, when their mentor entered. Cosmo and Jas both shouted out in surprise and stopped dead in their tracks, staring at Ace in horror.

"So, what do you guys have for me?" The Magician rested against the doorframe and placed a hand on his hip, gazing steadily at his charges. 

"Um…uh…ah…" Jas glanced at Cosmo desperately.

"We were, uh, just fixing up new programs," the redheaded teen tried.

Ace raised a brow. "Oh? Angel, run the programs Cosmo and Jas have just fixed." He grinned wickedly as holograms of new untested tricks ran. The longer he watched, the more impressed he was. His face lost the smile and he turned serious. "Come 'ere, guys."

The teens did, not meeting their older friend's eyes. Ace gazed at them for a moment, and enveloped both of them in a hug. Their arms went around him in an instant. "Thank you, Cosmo, Jas. I…don't know what to say."

They grinned. "Happy Father's Day, Ace."

***

Someone knocked on his door. "Gimme a minute!" He called out to whoever it was and pulled on a shirt. When he opened the door, he froze in surprise. "J-Jas?"

The blonde teen smiled. "Could I come in?"

"Sure." Toby Lee opened the door wider to allow the girl in. "So, do you want any drinks?"

"No, thank you." She produced a small wrapped package from behind her back. "This is for you."

Lee looked at the gift and shook his head. "I-I can't, not after how I've—"

She took his hand and placed the gift in it. "Please take it. I insist."

They sat down and had a short talk. Jas scanned the room she was in. It was decorated simply, but neatly, and the appearance of Lee had become nicer. "So, where are you working at now?"

"The Stock Exchange," Lee said.

Jas smiled. "That's great!" She glanced at her watch. It was getting late. "I need to go now. I'll see you again."

Lee saw the teen to the door. Before she left, she passed him an envelope. "Enjoy today." Then she was gone.

He remained at the door staring after her retreating back, and opened the envelope. In it was a card and some cash. He read her words, _"Have a Happy Father's Day…Dad."_

"Thank you, Jas." He most certainly will.

***

"You coming in, sis?" Cosmo poked his head out of the door. "It's getting cold out here."

"I'll be in soon, bro." Jas continued gazing at the stars. Their twinkling seemed like eyes looking down at her. "Dad?" She whispered. "I love you, and I miss you."

She started performing a _kata_. In her mind, an elderly gentleman joined her in her movements. _"Jaguar."_

_"Dad." She hugged him (in her mind while her body continued with the _kata_)._

_"You have learnt well, Jas, and I am proud."_

_She smiled. "Happy Father's Day, Dad."_

_"Thank you, Jaguar." He pecked her on the cheek. "Now go on inside. It's getting chilly."_

_Jas laughed. "Yeah, okay. I'll talk to you again soon."_

She withdrew from her mind to see Ace and Cosmo beside her. "Talking to Mr. Brend?" Ace had seen everything through the psychic rapport they shared.

"Yep."

"Cool." Cosmo smiled.

"Yeah." She knew that he meant it.

Together, they stood outside the Magic Express, gazing at the thousands of twinkling stars, and knew that they have made their fathers proud.

[][1]

   [1]: http://skyfiery.homestead.com/jas_lee.html



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